A Penny Well Spent
by RavenclawAmber
Summary: Ginny drags a reluctant Hermione to MetroCentre in search of naughty gifts for their fiancés, Harry and Ron. HP/GW RW/HG


_**A/N **__This was written for my dear friend, scarlette71177's birthday. I adore her both as a friend and a writer. She is easily one of my favorite authors (and is listed as such in my profile). If you have not read her work, I highly suggest both her Harry Potter and Twilight fics. They are amazing! Thanks for being such an awesome person! I heart you! _

**A Pence Well Spent**

"But Ginny, what if we're seen?" whinged the nineteen year old Hermione Granger as her best friend pulled her through the door to a large shopping mall.

"This is Muggle London," Ginny huffed as her effort to pull her along became too much, "No one is going to see us, Hermione!"

A crease formed in Hermone's forehead as she frowned, "I know that, but we aren't exactly low profile. What with who we are and your _dragging me_."

"If you'd move your feet, then I wouldn't have to drag you, would I?" Ginny Weasley said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She blew her red fringe out of her face in annoyance.

Hermione worried her lip with her teeth, "Yes, but when you asked about _this, _I thought you meant maybe for the wedding night, I didn't know you wanted to do it _today_." Ginny rolled her eyes at her friend. "I mean, I didn't even know you and Harry were— you know." Hermione said blushing as they walked toward the escalator at the MetroCentre.

Ginny crossed her eyes at her friend, "Well aren't you and Ron?"

Hermione blushed an even deeper shade of red, "Well of course we are, but—"

"Don't you even try and tell me I am too young to have sex with my boyfriend," Ginny said in a hushed, but defiant tone.

"I wasn't going to," Hermione said paying special mind to her feet as she stepped off the contraption and back onto solid ground, "It's just that Harry always seemed so—so moral."

Ginny threw back her head and laughed. She was practically falling over as she grabbed at Hermione to steady herself. "He_ is_ a bloke, you know."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," Hermione said tartly.

"Besides," Ginny said walking alongside the bushy-haired witch, "Did you honestly think we were just sleeping when I stay the night at Grimmauld Place? Even Mum knows we don't _just sleep_."

Hermione laughed, "I guess not. Does your brother know?"

Ginny shrugged, "I assume he does. Probably tries not to think about his best mate bonking his sister, I suspect."

Wrinkling her nose, Hermione said, "You kiss your mum with that mouth?"

They both stopped short and stared at the pink sign above one of the shops. Ginny bit her lip and looked around nervously. It was a Saturday afternoon, and the place was crawling with adults and children alike. It would be very easy for a reporter to have followed them, though unlikely, she was still nervous.

"Are you sure you want to do this," Hermione asked, also looking around at the other patrons.

Ginny gave it a moment's thought and said, "Absolutely."

"Alright then," Hermione replied grudgingly and took the first step toward La Senza, the lingerie shop on the second floor.

"Look, they've got a section of nightclothes, if you don't feel comfortable looking at—" she swallowed and whispered, "lingerie. You can just stay there, or wait for me out here. It's okay. I was just thinking, it would be nice to do something for our blokes," Ginny giggled, "You know, give 'em a good surprise."

"Ginny, my _bloke _happens to be your brother."

Ginny pulled a face, "Thanks, I was trying to forget that part." Ginny sighed, stopping just outside the door to the shop. "It's just that you're my best friend. My only real girlfriend aside from Luna, and I wanted some support here. I've never done this before, and I'm not too familiar with all the Muggle stuff."

"I know," Hermione admitted, "I've never done this either, and I guess that's what has me in a panic."

Ginny giggled, "To think, we've both faced down Death Eaters, and we're scared-spitless of a couple pair of sexy knickers."

"That settles it," Hermione said matter-of-factly, "we're going in." It was Hermione who was now pulling Ginny through the crowded mall and into the lingerie store.

"Hold your knickers," Ginny said sharply and then laughed at her own joke. Hermione rolled her eyes and stifling a giggle herself.

Once through the door, they weren't sure exactly how to proceed. Did one ask for assistance? Did one just browse and hope to find what they wanted? Ginny eyed a couple mannequin displays, but her eyes kept sliding back to one. It was black, satin and laced up. Going to it, she fingered the pink ribbon holding it together and wondered how it would look on her curvy figure.

"I don't think I've got what it takes to hold one of those up," Hermione said from behind her, also eying the corset.

Ginny screwed up her face, "And I think I've got a bit too much."

They laughed somewhat embarrassedly and then separated, each going their own directions. Ginny was accosted by a sales lady almost immediately. "Can I help you find something, Miss? Any particular occasion? " the older woman asked, eyeballing Ginny speculatively.

Ginny blushed under the woman's scrutiny, she felt like a naughty school child all over again. "Something for my fiancé's birthday—it's at the end of the week."

"Oh?" the woman, Eliza her name badge read, said smiling, "When are you getting married? Would you like to be outfitted for that as well?" Ginny could almost see the dollar signs adding up in the woman's eyes.

"Not for some time yet," Ginny lied. The truth was that they had not yet set a date, though she was certain it would be before she went off to training in November. She glanced at Hermione, and noticed that a saleswoman had also taken to her and was showing her something shiny and light blue.

"Alright," Eliza said trying to mask her disappointment, "What is it you've got in mind? Have you been properly sized before?"

Ginny blushed again, _darn this complexion_, and shook her head, "Not for this sort of thing, no."

"Alright, best to get that out of the way first," she pulled a measuring tape from her blazer pocket and ushered Ginny toward the fitting room. "What's your budget like?"

Ginny stammered, "Whatever. It, uh, depends on what I find I guess."

As the woman worked around her with the measuring device, Ginny felt a little uncomfortable. At Madam Malkins' place, it was always done by magic. No touching. She took a deep breath. No big deal, women did this sort of thing all the time. Right? By the time it was done, however, Eliza had Ginny at ease, talking her through it and about the newest fashions.

The girls spent quite some time browsing, and then some more time trying things on. Hermione decided on something sensible, feminine and sleek. While Ginny tried on multiple things, her eye always came back to the corset collection on the wall. After some time, and quite a few sensible nighties, she finally worked up the nerve to ask Eliza if she could try on something a little more risqué.

Eliza raised an eyebrow. "This ensemble costs about eighty-five pounds, and then there's the stockings to go with the garter belt," she was taking it down off the wall in Ginny's size.

Ginny bit her lip. She'd only thought to bring seventy pounds with her. "Let me try it, and then I'll decide if I have to go back to the bank." Eliza said nothing, but handed her the top and sent her along to the fitting room.

The moment Ginny caught sight of herself in the mirror she knew she had to have it. It did things to her shape and cleavage she'd only ever dreamed of. Rather than having _too much_ for the corset, as she'd previously thought, it fit her like a glove molding to her curves and defining her shape. She took it off and hung it carefully back on the hanger. "I'll take it," Ginny said through the curtain, "Just let me get dressed and go see if my friend's got any spare cash or if I've got to go to the-uh- ETM."

Hermione was waiting on a bench outside the shop eating an ice cream cone, "Well?" she said questioningly at Ginny's lack of packages.

"I've only got seventy pounds," she said flopping on the bench with a sigh.

"And?"

"That set, the black one with all the satin, is around ninety-five," Ginny said miserably. Hermione stopped mid-lick and looked at Ginny with wide eyes. "Do you have any spare Muggle cash? I've just got Galleons and a few Knutts on me. Or what about that plastic thing? The whatsit card?"

Hermione laughed, "You're really going to spend that much on something you won't keep on for more than twenty minutes?"

"Hermione!" Ginny admonished with a playful slap on the arm. "Of course I am. I can't wait to see the look on Harry's face. If you can spot me, we'll pop over to Gringotts and I'll pay you back straight away."

Hermione rummaged through her coin purse and pulled out two, twenty pound notes. "I still can't believe you are going to spend that much," she said shaking her head with a smile.

"It's his birthday!" Ginny said with a mischievous grin, "Surely Harry Potter deserves the best on his birthday."

"I don't want to know. I just do _not_ want to know." Hermione said laughing, "Go on and get it. We can drop by the Leakey for some lunch on the way home.

The rest of the week passed rather quickly for Ginny. Before she knew it, the cake had been served and the presents opened. It was well past eleven when Harry decided to go home for the evening. Ginny's parents had already gone up to bed, and all the guests had gone home. He took Ginny in his arms and gave her a kiss in front of the fire place. "Will you be over later?" he asked in a whisper.

"As soon as I'm done clearing up around here," she promised.

"See you in a bit then," Harry said, reluctant to let go. He took a handful of Floo powder and glanced back over his shoulder, "Love you."

"Love you too," Ginny replied as he stepped into the fire grate.

She hurriedly set the cleaning charms in the kitchen. She said good night to Ron and Hermione who were swinging on the porch. She practically flew up the stairs, her heart fluttering nervously in her ribcage. Ginny entered her bedroom and took a steadying breath.

Carefully, almost reverently, Ginny opened the pink clothes box. She had cut the tags off earlier that day when she had readied everything for the evening. She smoothed lotion up her legs and changed into the satin outfit. It was mostly black, save for a pink ribbon that laced up the front of the corset, and two pink ribbons that laced down the sides of her barely-there panties. She rolled the black stockings up her legs and gave herself a onceover in the mirror. "Not bad," she said aloud to herself.

Ginny felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she tied her floor-length white cotton flannel dressing gown shut and slipped on her black heals. She poked her head out her bedroom door and looked both directions, listening carefully. Upon being sure that no one was there, she all but ran to the fireplace and chucked a handful of Floo Powder into the fireplace saying, "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place!"

"You're here!" Harry said grinning at her from an armchair across from the fireplace.

Ginny smiled back lowering her eyes as seductively as she could manage."I was thinking, Potter," she said smoothly, "That you've got one more present to unwrap."

Harry ran a hand through his dark hair, "Really?" he drawled, standing from the chair. He hadn't undressed yet, but Ginny was already coming up with ways to remedy that. He took her in as he walked toward her, his eyes stopping at her footwear. He licked his lips and circled her once.

Ginny was shaking with anticipation as Harry slid one arm around her waist and kissed her neck. He found the tie with his other hand and as it came free. Her pulse quickened as she watched his gaze turn feral. Hermione may have been right. Ginny's expensive ensemble wouldn't make it to twenty minutes but if the look in her lover's eyes was any indication it was worth every pence spent.


End file.
